Lost Time
by Kkoko88
Summary: Set during Second Son, Tara Watson is almost killed alongside her best friend, Jack. Instead of dying, she finds that she's a Conduit who can control time. Unable to save her friend, she is taken to Curdun Cay, where she remains for 3 years. Augustine has plans for her, but she might just catch her break when she is chosen to be transferred alongside 3 other prisoners. AU On Hiatus
1. Chapter 1

The night was cool, but the sky above me was bright with stars. Small towns were nice like that. In the city, it seemed impossible to see any stars, except for special cases. I turned my gaze to the man — boy, really — walking beside me. Jack, my childhood friend, was fascinated by the idea of Bioterrorists. Even now, he was rambling on about the different known powers and how each one worked. "Jack, can't we just have a quiet moment for once? I promise you can keep talking about Bioterrorists in a moment. Just, take a look at the stars and enjoy this for a second," I insisted, taking hold of his hand.

Jack had messy black hair and blue, almost gray, eyes that were usually hidden by his prescription glasses. He was tall, especially compared to my short height, and he was often called a bean pole on account of his skinny build. Jack and I had met in first grade when I punched a bully who had taken his glasses. After that, we stuck together, always hanging out and having fun together. We played our first video game together, shared our favorite movies and books, and complained when movies didn't do the books justice. We both freaked out when we managed to get tickets to San Diego Comic Con. We shared everything with each other, and we eventually grew inseparable. Now, we were both out of high school, taking a year to travel before college.

"Tara, Bioterrorist isn't the correct — oh, never mind," Jack replied, cutting himself off. He smiled slightly as it clicked that we were holding hands. Things had changed between us recently. I didn't know about Jack, but I was seeing my friend in a new light. I could only hope that this wasn't some one-sided, pitiful idea on my part, but it didn't seem one-sided right now.

It's too bad that that was the moment that any possible future with Jack was stolen from me. A car came careening down the street, completely out of control. I let out a scream as the car's course turned toward us, impossible to avoid. Just before the car hit us though, I felt something snap within me, and the car froze. I looked around, confused. A bird was frozen in the air above us. Jack's expression was trapped in fear. "Jack? Jack, what's happening?" I asked, but there was no reply, not even a movement in response. Then, the car began to reverse, following the same track that it had come from. Jack began to walk backward, like a movie put in reverse. The bird also began to move in reverse.

I stepped back, feeling a drain on my energy, and tripped. As I fell into a nearby driveway, time seemed to return to normal. The car rushed down the street, heading toward an unsuspecting Jack, who hadn't noticed my disappearance yet. Frantically, I climbed to my feet, rushing to Jack, but I was too late. Jack was gone. The car continued onward, no doubt driven by some drunk idiot who didn't realize just what he'd done.

"No! No! Please… No!" I shrieked, dropping to my knees over the lifeless body. Lights around the neighborhood began to flash on, illuminating the scene. Around me, the air began to ripple, but I didn't notice it. All I could see was the blood, accompanied by the empty glassy look in Jack's eyes. "No!" I screamed again, tears streaming freely down my face. Dimly, the sound of sirens reached my ears.

Lifting my head, I saw that while the house lights in the neighborhood had turned on, no one had come out to try and help. "Please, help us! Jack needs help!" I pleaded, watching as nervous faces ducked away from windows as I turned. The sirens grew louder now, followed by the vehicles in question, but these weren't ambulances or fire trucks. These were black armored cars with the letters _D_, _U_, and _P_ written on the front. Why would the Department of Unified Protection be here?

I finally noticed the distortions in the space around me. In some areas, the plant life had completely withered and died away, and in other areas, massive trees had shrunk down to saplings. In another area, the water from a sprinkler had frozen in the air, just like a few moments before.

The armored trucks stopped, doors opening to reveal dozens of armed D.U.P. soldiers. Finally, a woman with red hair and blue eyes stepped forward, hands clasped behind her back. Those blue eyes calmly surveyed the scene, taking in the distortions before settling on me. "Interesting… Temporal control," she commented. The woman stepped forward, and I stepped back. Irritated, she fixed her blue eyes on the ground around my feet. Instantly, concrete began to work its way up my legs, trapping me in place.

Gasping, I struggled to break free, feeling the same snap as before. The drain on my energy came immediately, but I found that the concrete was retreating. I dropped to one knee, out of breath. "Who are you? What are you doing?" I asked, trying in vain to recreate the snap, to go back even further than before. I didn't have enough energy for it though.

The woman crouched down, looking me in the eyes. Finally, she answered, "My name is Brooke Augustine, and I'm just doing my job." With that, she stood up, turning away. The concrete trapped my legs yet again, followed by a slab of concrete encasing my hands. "Load her into a truck," Augustine commanded, and the soldiers hurried to obey. Desperately, I tried again to reach the same feeling that had saved me from the car, but it still wasn't working. Minutes later, the train of cars was rolling off, taking me to Curdun Cay.

Three Years Later

I still thought about Jack. The happy childhood memories the two of us had made were all that kept me going in this hellhole. Augustine was fascinated by my abilities, always running tests to push them to the limit. She trained me, taught me how to use my powers, but I could never forgive her. My ability to turn back the clock on objects and people was the most interesting to her, and I could tell she had ideas about how to use that skill. It turned out that I was right.

I was awoken from sleep to find Augustine speaking to the guards outside my cell, but something was different. This was no run of the mill set of tests, but I couldn't tell what was going on. Augustine had a number of guards with her, who stepped into the cell, escorting me into the hallway. "So, where are we going?" I asked, growing wary.

"You'll see soon enough," was Augustine's only reply. Judging by the number of guards surrounding me, we weren't going anywhere in Curdun Cay. Could this be my chance? It would have to be. A few of the other prisoners were being transferred, and I knew that one of them was planning an escape. Security would be extra tight after that. I was led up a set of stairs to the roof of the prison, where a helicopter awaited us.

A few hours later, I found myself staring down at a destroyed city. A massive crater lay in one area, and I instantly recognized where we were. This used to be Empire City. The helicopter touched down near the crater, letting Augustine, a number of guards, and me out. "This will be the ultimate test of your power, Tara. Do not disappoint me," Augustine commanded, but I didn't know what she wanted me to do. She tutted slightly at my baffled expression. "This should be simple, Tara. All you have to do is reverse the time flow of the man in that coffin."

Sure enough, a coffin stood at the center of the crater, a metal two-prong fork attached to the end of it. It had been left untouched by all the years that had passed since it was placed here. Astonished, I turned to Augustine. "What? No, I won't do that! Bringing people back to life — well, that's just playing God! Even if I wanted to, I don't have the power to reverse years of time," I refused. Augustine didn't reply. Instead, she nodded to one of the guards, who shoved me toward the coffin. "No, you can't make me!" I sounded like a child, but this was wrong.

"You will do this. Even if it doesn't work, we can just try again in a few years!" Augustine called out, her expression as hard as the concrete she controlled. I doubted that I'd ever have the strength to perform this task, but I didn't say as much. Instead, I resigned myself to the idea of at least trying to do this.

Stepping up to the coffin, I had an idea of who was inside, but I wondered who had brought him here. I took in a deep breath, reaching within. A visible distortion bubble appeared around the coffin, time reversing inside of it. I wobbled as my energy drained rapidly, pulling from my reserves. This was farther than I had ever reversed time before, but the coffin had only gone back about a year when the world grew dark around me.

Augustine's voice sounded above me, "You've disappointed me, Tara…" I struggled to open my eyes, but I left them closed as I was lifted and carried back to the waiting helicopter. Dimly, I heard a phone ring and Augustine answer. Without a greeting, the red-headed woman listened to the person on the other line before replying, "Fine, I'll add one more to the transfer for tomorrow. I'll send the prisoner's information to you right now." Augustine let out an irritated sigh. "It looks like you got lucky, Tara." With that, I slipped the rest of the way into unconsciousness.

When I awoke, I found myself in an unfamiliar area, three other prisoners across from me. Each wore an orange jumpsuit, much like the one I wore. What was going on this time? Did it have something to do with that phone call?

One of them, a girl with pink hair, commented, "Hey, looks like Sleepin' Beauty's awake now."

Shaking the sleep from my head, I shot a scathing look at her. "You're damn lucky that these restraints are blocking my powers."

"Oh, yeah? I'd like to see you try!" The girl returned, pushing at the restraints fruitlessly.

A new voice broke in, "Hey, both o' you! Stop y'all's bickerin' an' shut yer traps!" The voice had a thick country accent, and I looked over to find a bald man.

"Whatever," I responded, looking down at the ground. After a few minutes, I felt someone staring at me. I looked up and met the gaze of the third prisoner, a boy with thick glasses. "Do I have something on my face?" I asked, joking slightly. The boy didn't reply. "What? Are you mute like Chell from Portal?" I asked, not expecting a reply at the small gamer joke.

Unexpectedly, the boy let out a laugh. "That's a good one… You like games?" He replied, smiling shyly.

"Hell yeah. I love video games, but I haven't been able to play much since coming here. This is definitely a gamer's hell. I'm sure I've missed so many good games… My best friend and I used to preorder all of the games we couldn't wait for, and then we'd play them together once they arrived. It was kind of our way of bonding a few years after we met," I answered, letting my inner nerd come out a little bit. Mentioning Jack threw me off though. I had never been able to casually mention him like that, but it had just come out.

I grew silent after that, unsure what to say. I was saved from the awkward silence by a squad of guards pulling the door open. "Time to get going," one said. The other guards led us to a waiting truck while the one that spoke followed just behind. The four of us were silent as the truck took off. Every once in a while, I looked up at the other three, wondering what their powers were.

I glanced over at the bald man, noticing a strange look in his eye. It took me a moment to realize what was going on, but I felt like an idiot when I did. This was the prisoner who was planning to break out during his transfer. It looked like my opportunity was converging with his plan. I couldn't risk screwing up the other prisoner's plan, so I remained silent, unwilling to draw any of the guards' attention. Instead, I focused on storing my power.

A little over an hour later, the prisoner enacted his plan. He had managed to unlock the restraints, giving him full access to his powers. In the period of a few moments, he knocked out the guards in the truck with us, causing the truck to fly out of control. A flash of memory ran through my mind, of Jack walking alongside me in the cool night, but I pushed it away. When the truck came to a stop on its side, I warily climbed out, slowing down time around me. Frantically, I ran down the road, not caring where I was headed.

I spared a glance back at the truck, where the girl and the boy were climbing out in slow motion. Before my eyes, the boy transformed into a massive angel, flying overhead. In my shock, I let go of the time, and the angel sped onward down the road. The girl didn't turn into a hulking angel, but she did turn into a form of light, moving at hyper speeds.

I felt like I was being shown up, so I put my foot to the pedal and slowed time down as much as I could. To anyone watching, it would seem like I was a blur. Finally, I reached a roadblock. I raised my hand, accelerating the aging process of some of the guards at the roadblock. Turning back time was difficult, but accelerating it powered me up. The guards dropped, their bodies decomposing already. I could feel the energy of all those years flowing into me. Normally, I didn't like stealing people's futures, as I could draw energy from clocks, but it wasn't like I had much of a choice.

As I finished up with those guards, Angel Boy and Light Girl showed up, drawing the attention of the rest of the guards. I took that as my chance to get past the roadblock. Focusing, I slowed time down again and continued on to the tunnel and the bridge beyond. After that, it was simple to get into the city.

The Space Needle loomed above me, massive against the sky. I didn't know where to go next, but I did sneak into a department store to take some clothes that were less conspicuous. A bright orange jumpsuit wasn't really the best way to blend in, I decided. In the end, I decided on taking a pair of dark gray tights, a midnight blue skirt with white lining, a white collared blouse, and an old fashioned gray vest. To top the outfit off, I grabbed a tan trench coat and knee-high lace boots. Standing in front of the mirror of the changing room, I saw myself for the first time in three years. My curly red hair was cut short with side bangs, and my bright green eyes peered out at myself. I hadn't changed too much.

Finished in the store, I sneaked out into the street, stepping into an alley. Now that I blended in more easily, it was time to find a place to rest and figure out what to do next. Eventually, I stumbled onto an old clock tower that seemed abandoned. Stepping inside, I took a deep breath and let it out. This would do.

A week later, the D.U.P. had taken over the city, setting up checkpoints everywhere. I could hardly walk down the street without seeing a D.U.P. patrol. For the most part, I hid in the clock tower, but I had pulled in a mattress and some blankets in the first day. I also went out for food every once in a while. Augustine was looking like mad for the three of us who had made it here, but it didn't seem like she was making much progress on finding any of us.

The few times the D.U.P. cornered me, I turned back time just far enough to avoid the trap entirely. One or two times, I used my other abilities to defeat the patrols. I could make walls crumble with age and crush soldiers, or I could steal future years from the soldiers, or, better yet, I could manifest multiple future versions of my weapon, a heavy iron ball, to pound soldiers into the ground.

Soon enough, I began to hear tell of another Conduit in the city, but this one didn't seem to be an escapee. Stepping out of the clock tower, I tested out my newest ability. I had never tried this in Curdun Cay, and I had only just come up with it a couple of days ago. I leaped into the air, focusing on freezing time for the air beneath my feet. Sure enough, I landed on what felt like solid ground. I willed the frozen air to grow springy under my feet, and I jumped again, flying up like a rocket. Grinning wildly, I landed on a nearby rooftop. Solidifying the air could work as a shield as well, I thought.

I thought back to the me of three years ago, realizing how that Tara would have reacted. She would have freaked out, screaming that there was no way she could be a Bioterrorist. Now, however, I was a completely different person. I was a Conduit.

((A/N So, here we begin the story of Tara Watson! Anyway, I do want to mention that I got the idea for Tara's power with the iron ball from Fairy Tail's Ark of Time magic, but aside from that, all ideas for her powers are mine. I just couldn't get the idea of a Conduit who controls time out of my head, and thus, this was born! If you have any ideas for new powers Tara could have, just let me know! I'm happy to incorporate any that seem like they'll work! If you have a better idea for a weapon, I'm open to that too, but the iron ball seemed like the best choice out of what I could think of. To finish up, I say this all the time in my KH fanfic, but I'm not a super regular updater. I promise that I won't just give up the story, even if it takes a while to update. Also, I love reviews! Constructive criticism is definitely welcome! Kkoko88))


	2. Chapter 2

Over a week had passed since I had arrived in Seattle, and I was still at a loss as to what I wanted to do. I sat on top of the top of the clock tower, watching the dark of the night give way to the sunrise. Curiously, I turned my eyes downward, where I heard a commotion. A flash of anger ran through me as I saw a group of people cornering a young man. Bullies — I had never liked them. I rose to my feet, feeling like I finally knew what I needed to do. The D.U.P. might catch on to me if I did this, but it felt right.

Adrenaline rising, I leaped off the clock tower. I landed just behind the group, startling a few of the young adults. "Now, do you really need so many people to go after one guy? That seems pretty cowardly, in my eyes," I commented, working to seem calm. "Well, how about I make this a bit more even?"

The leader of the group turned away from his target to face me. "Oh, yeah? And how's a dainty little girl like you going to do that?" He asked, chuckling in disbelief.

"Like this," I responded. I raised my arms, determined to make the leader pay. Once he was out of the picture, the others should go running. I began to pull the man's future years away from him, little by little. He screamed in agony as his bones grew brittle with age and his eyes grew milky white with cataracts. "I think you're a bit too old to be terrorizing young men who have their whole lives ahead of them. It's okay though, I'll put you out of your misery now."

The man fell to the ground, blind and unable to move. "Please, no! I'm sorry!" He pleaded, but it was too late.

"Oh, have you fallen and can't get up? That's too bad. It'll all be over in a minute though," I replied, my voice cold. With that, I pulled the rest of his years into myself, watching as the life left his eyes. The rest of the gang remained silent, frozen in terror. "Why don't the rest of you scram now?" At my comment, the mob dispersed in all directions, screams running through the air.

I stepped over to the young man the group had cornered, holding out my hand. "Are you okay, kid?" I asked, but the kid ran off without a word. I might have overdone it a bit and scared him off, I realized. The sound of sirens jarred me out of my thoughts. I couldn't return to the clock tower right now, not with the D.U.P. around. Instead, I decided to look for more people to help.

It didn't take too long before I found another group. This time, I resolved, I would be a bit less violent. Skipping an introduction, I froze the time around each of the bullies. "Hey, get out of here while you can!" I called out, losing my hold on the time freeze.

"Thank you, miss!" The kid responded, running past me to the street beyond. I let go of the time freeze just as a D.U.P. patrol rounded the corner, seeing me use my powers.

"Freeze, bioterrorist!" A soldier called out, raising his gun. Slowly, I raised my hands, solidifying the air just in front of me, like a shield. Like a shot, I took off running. Shots rang out behind me, but the shield blocked them from reaching me. Jumping into the air, I launched myself to the top of a nearby building.

"Sorry, D.U.P.s! You won't be catching me today!" I called out, making my escape with ease. I managed to stop a few more groups of bullies before returning to the clock tower to rest.

Little did I know, Delsin Rowe and his brother were trying to find me. "So, Reg, what type of powers do you think this Conduit has?" Delsin asked, smoke dashing over rooftops.

Reggie's voice came from Delsin's phone, "I don't know, man, but based on the reports, it seems like she's powerful. Be careful, bro." There was a pause before Reggie continued, "I've triangulated her position using where she's attacked. The location is on your map now."

"Thanks, Reg, that's just what I needed. Looks like it's time to pick up a new power," Delsin replied, remembering how it felt to gain Fetch's power. Finally, Delsin reached an old clock tower, where the Conduit should be.

I sat on the mattress in the clock tower, reading a copy of a manga I had picked up a day or two previously. Footsteps sounded on the steps of the clock tower, and I stiffened. Was it the D.U.P.s? A head came into view, covered by a red beanie. It wasn't a D.U.P. soldier then, but who would come up here? "Stay where you are, and I won't hurt you," I ordered, slight distortions forming around me.

The man stopped moving, but I could see more of him now. He seemed normal enough, but I couldn't judge him based on looks alone. "Hey, don't worry. I don't want to hurt you. I just want to shake your hand," he said, smiling at me.

"Yeah, right. I'm not an idiot," I replied. I had seen enough. I raised my hand just as he dashed toward me in a flurry of smoke. Instantly, he froze, and I inched around him, taking the stairs down to the ground as fast as I could. Beanie-man was a Conduit too, but something seemed off. I heard a crash as the time freeze wore off.

Taking off, I leapt up to a building, just as Beanie-man stepped out of the clock tower. "Damn, those powers are awesome!" I heard him say as he started the pursuit.

"Leave me alone!" I shouted back at him, leaping to the top of a massive building. The other Conduit matched me, appearing out of a vent on the top of the building. Trying another tactic, I dropped to the ground, hoping to lose Beanie-man in the sprawl of city streets and citizens. Instead, I found myself face-to-face with a D.U.P. patrol. "Uh oh… Sorry to bother you. I'll just be going now!" I commented, backing away and running from the new threat.

Taking my chances with Beanie-man, I jumped back up to the top of a building, out of breath. I needed to find a clock to drain some energy from. Before I could take off to do so, the other Conduit stepped in front of me, grabbing my hand. At the touch, I felt a presence in my mind, and the memories flashed through me, too fast to truly see.

A little later, I woke up, a pounding headache overwhelming my thoughts. The other Conduit was unconscious, but he was coming to. I crawled to my feet, wobbling slightly. After a moment, I dropped back down, the world spinning around me. "Oh… That does not feel good, not one bit," I commented, fighting the urge not to upchuck. I attempted to stand up again, with better results this time. "Sorry, man. I'm not sticking around…"

As I stepped to the edge of the building, I heard Beanie-man's voice call out, "Wait! Come back!" I ignored the call, leaping off. To my annoyance, I heard the Conduit behind me. "Holy shit! This power is awesome! Hey, what is it, anyway? Wind control?" He shouted, catching up to me.

I let out a sigh, stopping at the next building. "No, it's not wind control, and how exactly do you have my power anyway? You were just using smoke a minute ago in the clock tower!" I replied, a hand on my hip.

The Conduit smirked before replying, "I can absorb other Conduits' powers. So far, I've got smoke, neon, and whatever your power is. I think I'm starting to get an idea on your power though, now that I'm seeing you."

"What's that supposed to mean? Now that you're seeing me?"

"Well, you've got the whole Doctor Who vibe going on, not that that's a bad thing. You've also been living in a clock tower. Anyway, you can control time, right?"

"Well, kind of. There are limitations to it. Anyway, it would be easier to show you. You were the presence in my mind, from what I can tell. My memories should do the trick." I held my hand out.

"The name's Delsin, by the way," he replied, taking my hand. This time, the contact wasn't nearly as painful, and the memories came in slower bursts.

I had hated bullies my whole life, especially the ones that picked on Jack. I never cared how much trouble I found myself in, so long as the bullies stopped. Then, I lost Jack, and I found that I had these powers, powers that couldn't save the one person I cared for. When I arrived in Curdun Cay, I faced one of the biggest bullies of all, Brooke Augustine. The woman was ruthless, and I was powerless against her. After escaping, I realized that I wanted to knock her down a peg, show her just how wrong her actions were.

Then, the contact broke, and the two of us fell apart, dazed. "So that's why… why you've been attacking those people," Delsin commented. "It looks like we've got a couple of things in common." He and I climbed to our feet, sharing a look.

"You've seen the main basis of my power now, as well as its weaknesses. Turning back time is extremely difficult. I think it's because the past is already written, whereas the future has infinite possibilities," I explained. "By the way, I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier, but you can call me T. It's a pleasure to meet you, Delsin." I stepped into the air, not stopping until I was a ways above Delsin. "If you've got my powers now, you should be able to join me easily enough."

I could see a mischievous look in the Conduit's eye. He stood, looking up at me for a moment, before taking a step into the air. "Looks like you're getting the hang of this!" I called out, setting off before Delsin could reach me. "Try and keep up!"

"I'll do more than keep up!" Delsin called back, running through the air to catch up. He was slowly gaining the lead, but I stepped it up, adding spring to my strides. It launched me further and further ahead. The clock tower came into view, and I stopped there, sitting on the top. My legs dangled over the edge, and I leaned back on my hands, staring up at the sky.

With a thud, Delsin joined me on the roof. "So, do you know the boxes the D.U.P.s have set up around the city?" He asked, nonchalant.

"The core relays? Yeah, I know about them, but why do you ask? They're just made to track us, from what I know. The same goes for the drones flying around the city," I replied, turning my gaze from the sky to the other Conduit.

"You'll see, but first, we need to find a few of them," Delsin responded, rising to his feet.

I gave a half-smile, wondering what Delsin wanted with the core relays. "Better yet, I already know where one is. How does that sound?" I asked, remembering passing one a day or two previous.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" I marked the location on Delsin's GPS, and he took off, hardly waiting for me to join him. Whatever the purpose of Delsin's mission for the core relays, I was certain that it would hit Augustine pretty damn hard. There were a number of guards, but Delsin and I made short work of them. Delsin used his chain to attack, an aura of time energy surrounding it and powering up each attack. Once the soldiers were all knocked out, Delsin proceeded to flick his chain at the core relay, but it wasn't doing much damage.

"Here, let me," I offered, and Delsin stood back. I summoned multiple future versions of the iron, launching all of them at the core relay, which cracked open, allowing access to the inside. "So, you going to let me in on your dirty little secret then?"

Delsin stepped forward, stretching his hand toward the smashed core relay. "You've got all the time in the world, T. All you have to do is wait a minute," he answered, absorbing the energy of the core relay. He was pulled into the air, the energy swirling around him.

It was pretty, but I couldn't exactly tell what was going on. After a moment, Delsin dropped to the ground, an aura of distortions running around his arms. "That was quite the light show there," I commented, leaning against the side of a building.

Delsin let out a chuckle, the distortions fading around his arms. "Looks like I've got a new ability to go with the time powers," he explained, turning at the sound of soldiers' shouts. "Perfect, I can give it a try on these bucket heads." I rolled my eyes, unconsciously tensing at the presence of D.U.P.s here.

"Whatever. I'm going to go track down another core relay. I'll send you the coordinates when I find one," I responded, jumping into the sky. I spared a moment to see Delsin's new power, a bit surprised to see a variation of my iron ball attack. Rather than cloning the weapon, Delsin manifested future versions of himself, each attacking a soldier with a chain.

Brushing it off, I turned to the rest of the city. It didn't take too long to find another core relay. I pulled out my phone, giving Delsin a call. When we had exchanged numbers, I had a feeling Delsin had wanted my number for more than just communicating, but I ignored the other reason. When Delsin picked up, I greeted, "Hey, Del. I found another core relay. Just give me a moment to send you its location. I'll wait on a rooftop nearby."

"Sounds great, T. I'll be over there before you can say time lord," replied Delsin, his voice coming out of the phone clearly.

I chuckled and said, "Time lord." I moved to the edge of the roof, looking down at the core relay below. If these things could give Conduits new powers, I was surprised that they were so lightly guarded. Only a few D.U.P. soldiers stood around the core relay. I heard a thud behind me as Delsin arrived, joining me. "These guys are all yours… I'm going to look for another core relay. Let me know what you get," I commented, stepping away from the edge of the roof.

"You don't want to stick around?" asked Delsin, but I had already stepped into the air.

"I'll stay for the next one!" I replied, flashing a smile at the other Conduit. A breeze kicked up, blowing my curly red hair into my face. When I pushed it away, Delsin had disappeared into the street, the sounds of combat emanating from the alleyway. Letting out a contented sigh, I slowed down time a bit and continued through the city, searching for the next core relay.

I returned time to normal when I noticed the final core relay atop a building ahead of me. Something seemed a bit off though. No D.U.P. soldiers stood guard over it, and the surrounding streets were rather empty. "Del, if you're done with that core relay, I've found another, but something is —!" I broke off as concrete began to wind its way up my body.

"T! Did something happen?" Delsin's voice came out of the phone, sounding tiny against the concrete encasing most of my lower body.

My expression darkened as Augustine came into view, something in her hand. "You aren't quite who I was expecting, but this is much better. You disappointed me in Empire City, Tara, but I believe I have a solution to our little problem," the Concrete Queen stated. Like a shark, she circled me. After a moment, her footsteps ceased behind me. "Let's see how this fits," she said.

"What do you mea—?" I attempted to ask, but I was interrupted by a burning sensation. It began at the nape of my neck, stabbing through me in painful bursts. I let out a shriek as the burning intensified sharply. I clawed at my neck, finding the source of the pain. It was a metallic contraption, almost like a collar. "Wha-what is this thing?"

Augustine let out a chuckle, returning to her position in front of me. The concrete shattered, and I dropped to the ground. The pain was beginning to shift and blossom into a set of fractured images in my head. "Oh, it's just a little something I've been working on back in Curdun Cay. It amplifies a Bioterrorist's natural powers and abilities far beyond normal parameters. I can see that it's beginning to take effect," she explained, looking down on me. My head felt like it was going to split open, but I feebly pulled at the collar, trying to snap it off. "That won't work. You and I are going to save so many of our kind with your powers amplified, even those who have been killed in the past."

I could hardly absorb the information, as the visions were dragging me into unconsciousness. I could see a city in chaos, with a young man collapsed in the center of a massive crater. The images began to move faster, far too fast to comprehend.

Unbeknownst to me, Delsin and another Conduit landed on a nearby rooftop. "It seems that luck is on your side, Tara. We'll continue this soon enough," Augustine commented, rising on a whirlpool of concrete. She disappeared just as Delsin reached me.

"What's wrong with the chick?" The other Conduit asked, pushing a bit of her pink hair out of her face.

Delsin crouched down beside me, gently shaking my shoulders. "T, I need you to wake up for me. Come on, it isn't like you to keep me hangin' like this," he commented, and I pried my eyes open. I didn't notice it, but Delsin's eyes widened slightly.

"Del…" I managed to get out, just as the images flashed by again. "She did something to me… My powers are going… bat-shit crazy because of it…" I closed my eyes, hoping to stem the tide of visions. Finally, I opened my eyes again and crawled to my feet.

Delsin rose as well, taking a step back to give me room. "Is that why…" He started before trailing off.

"Is that why what?" I questioned, but the girl pulled a compact out before Delsin could reply. Silently, I took the compact, finally recognizing the girl. She was the escapee I had argued with! That wasn't what mattered at the moment, however, so I pulled open the compact, almost dropping it in shock. My eyes were glowing a bright blue that seemed almost inhuman. Just then, an image of a bald, wrinkled man flashed through my mind. The man's appearance was covered by a tan cloak and hood, but I could see a metallic arm and chest plate. Most alarming, his eyes glowed the same bright blue that mine now did.

((A/N Wow, I'm having such a fun time with this story! And the update was pretty timely as well! I need to keep this short, as it's a school night, but I hope you all like the story so far! I've had one review so far (which is more than I was expecting XD), and I hope for more. Anyway, constructive criticism is definitely welcome! I'll try to update in the next couple of weeks, but school is the ultimate in taking up my time (I'll definitely sneak in some writing though). For now, see you later! Kkoko88))


	3. Chapter 3

Returning the compact to the Conduit with the pink hair, I turned my eyes to Delsin. On top of the visions, my eyes had changed color, going from their normal green to this new glowing blue. Absently, my hand touched the metallic necklace. Augustine had said that it would amplify my powers, and, so far, she didn't seem to be lying. I could feel a surge in my power, and these new visions seemed to be continuous. It was similar to trying to multitask. My attention was split between the two tasks, making it difficult to concentrate solely on one or the other.

Proving my inability to focus, I realized that I hadn't said anything for a number of minutes. Delsin and the other girl were shifting uncomfortably as I was lost in my thoughts. "Sorry about that. I think what's going on with my abilities is stemming from this thing," I explained, pulling experimentally at the metallic collar. It didn't budge.

Delsin stepped forward, taking a closer look at the collar. The other girl moved forward as well. "Hey, D, get a look at this," the girl said, noticing something on the back of the collar. "It's sealed with concrete. I don't think we can get it off."

I turned around to face the female Conduit, unbelieving. "Wait, what? You mean I'm stuck with this thing?" I asked, groaning. I rubbed my forehead, trying to make my growing headache subside. "You know what? Never mind. Del, just get your new power, and we'll deal with this later."

Delsin seemed a bit worried, but he replied, "Will do. By the way, this is Fetch. Fetch, this is T." He smiled slightly, moving toward the core relay. While he collected his new power, Fetch and I stared each other down.

"It looks like I might get my chance to, shall we say, 'demonstrate' my powers to you after all, Fetch," I stated, feeling my powers react to my emotions. Something about the pink-haired Conduit bothered me. Maybe it was her attitude.

Fetch flashed a glare at me, her own powers flaring up. "Oh, yeah? So Sleepin' Beauty's goin' to try and fight me? I'd like to see you try," replied the girl. I smirked slightly, completely freezing time with an ease I had never had before. I stepped around Fetch's frozen figure to the edge of the building. Looking over, a plan began to present itself to me. Keeping time frozen, I pulled Fetch to the edge, positioning her so she hung over the street. I put my hand on her arm to catch her and returned time to normal. Instantly, Fetch began to fall to the street below, but I had a hand on her.

"You don't want to mess with me, especially not now," I insisted, seeing a flash of confusion in Fetch's eyes. "My abilities are really powered up right now. I could do a lot more than drop you off a building, which you'd easily survive." A moment passed, and I pulled Fetch up, just in time for Delsin to return.

Not acknowledging the events of a moment ago, Fetch gave Delsin a smile and asked, "So, what's new, D?"

"The last core relay gave me the power to slow down time or speed up time, and this one… well, it might be easier to show you," Delsin replied, his gaze travelling to something behind Fetch and me. Immediately, the two of us turned to see what Delsin was looking at, only to find a massive number of D.U.P. soldiers coming for us. There were a few helicopters as well.

"Well, now's as good a time as any, Del!" I called out, sliding into an attack position. I flinched slightly as the visions intensified again. Damn, it might be hard to fight when I could barely think straight. Focusing on the matter at hand, I watched as Delsin used his new ability. He let out a massive burst of time energy, catching all of the guards and helicopters in the blast. The soldiers all began to shrink and reverse age, while the helicopters disintegrated into dust. When the attack finished, all that was left was a crowd of nine- and ten-year-olds surrounded by piles of disintegrated helicopter.

I stood, shocked. Delsin had managed to turn time years back for the soldiers, something I could only now do with my powers amplified greatly. As well as that, he simultaneously fast-forwarded the time of the helicopters, turning them to dust. Even so, I saw that it didn't seem to be permanent for the soldiers. Rapidly, they returned to their true ages, collapsing to the ground as they did so, unconscious.

"Wow, D," was all Fetch had to say. "Anyway, now that Sleepin' Beauty here is safe, I'll be goin'. See ya." She burst into a flash of light, speeding away through the city. I watched her for a moment, and then she was out of sight.

Now that the soldiers were down for the count, the visions were growing more clear, less frantic and fragmented. I could see two images of one figure, Delsin. One wore a white jacket, and the logo on his vest was of a white bird, its wings spread triumphantly. The other wore a blood red jacket, and the vest had the skull of a bird, red feathers surrounding it. I shivered at the second image.

"Hey, T, we should get going for now. I'm sure those D.U.P. troopers would love to wake up and find us still here," Delsin suggested, breaking into my vision. Slowly, I turned to him, nodding.

"I'm going to go back to the clock tower. Maybe I'll stop some groups of bullies on the way. Give me a call if you need anything," I replied, my voice tired. I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath and letting the air out. Reopening my eyes, I froze time. I took one moment to look at the image on Delsin's vest. For now, it had a blue bird subduing a red one. I hoped it meant that Delsin was on his way to becoming the man in the first part of my vision.

Eventually, I reached the clock tower, releasing my hold on time. To Delsin it would seem as though I had disappeared into thin air. I wondered what he would think. I needed to recharge my energy, so I pulled a bit from the clock tower. Its energy always seemed to renew itself after a while, so I never worried about using it all up, like I did with small timepieces.

I lay down on my mattress, tossing a manga to the floor. For a while, I just lay there with my eyes closed. The visions began to fade away slightly, but they seemed insistent on sticking around inside my head. For the most part, they were of the future, which consisted of two main possibilities for now. Both were tied to Delsin's actions, as far as I could tell. Other visions were tied to the past. These visions focused on Empire City and New Marais, highlighting the choices made during those times. The oddest visions, however, felt like a mix of the future and the past. I was in a number of these, as well as the hooded man with the glowing blue eyes.

As the hours passed, my mind cleared of visions, and I slipped into a dreamless sleep. It felt like only a moment had passed when my phone began to ring. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I picked up the phone. I stifled a yawn, answering, "Hello?"

"Hey, I'm heading over to the Lantern District. Wanna come with?" Delsin's voice asked through the phone.

"Sounds like a date," I replied, smiling slightly. "I'll meet you at the bridge."

Soon enough, I stood in front of a looming concrete edifice. Delsin was beside me, a smirk on his face. He absorbed the neon from a couple of lights and ran up to the top while I leaped to the top alongside him.

Ahead of us, a soldier pointed at us and shouted, "Targets sighted! Up there!" After a moment, a smoke grenade came flying up, landing at our feet.

"Oh, bad move, man…" Delsin commented, absorbing all of the smoke and jumping down to the soldiers. On the way down, he shouted, "This is going to be awesome!"

Smirking, I jumped after him. "Hell yeah!" I called after him. Landing, I saw that Delsin had the situation in hand, so I moved forward, avoiding automatic turrets along the way. "I think you've got this covered, Del, so I'll meet you up ahead!"

Delsin didn't respond, but I heard him grumbling about it was cheating to use automatic turrets. Shaking my head with amusement, I froze time and moved forward past a final group of D.U.P. soldiers. Stepping into the cleared out area, I noticed a very familiar face. Augustine stood, frozen in time. For a moment, I thought about what I could do to her, frozen as she was, but I didn't want to kill her. I only wanted to get this collar off and take her down a notch.

I retreated to where the soldiers stood guard behind me, returning time to normal. I knocked a couple out before Delsin arrived. "What took you so long?" I called out, grinning as I knocked out a third soldier.

Delsin let out a laugh before replying, "Well, I had to leapfrog those auto-turds. Not all of us can just freeze time and walk past them." Shooting a final burst of smoke, he finished off the last soldier and turned to the next area. Before entering, he spoke into his phone, "Hey, Fetch, just left a trail of bodies and bolts across this bridge… Fetch? Goddamn girls and their short attention spans…"

"Hey!" I complained, shooting a look at the Conduit.

"Oh, well… Lantern District, here we come!" Delsin responded. He jumped down into the next area of the bridge before he noticed Augustine. "Ahhh… shit." Delsin chuckled before calling out, "Lady, you are hell on bridges. You know that?"

"So you recognize me?" Augustine replied, taking a step forward.

"Oh, yeah, yeah. You're the one who had me dead to rights a couple weeks ago and just let me walk away," Delsin replied. I moved forward, watching him with concern.

"You've changed since then," Augustine shot back.

"You mean the smoke thing… Yeah, that's new," Delsin answered, turning his hands over. A bit of smoke came off of them, curling up into the sky.

"I hear you've learned some new tricks. You've expanded your arsenal. You've also brought me my favorite Bioterrorist.

Delsin opened his arms, feigning confusion. "Well, I don't know where you heard that… I mean, I'm just a lowly smoke guy," he said, glancing at me.

Augustine seemed to see through it, replying, "We'll see." She pointed to the clearing, where a set of neon lights turned on. As well as the lights, a set of digital clocks came to life.

"Umm… Yeah, that's doing nothing for me," Delsin commented. Augustine shook her head slightly before waving a hand, signaling a massive D.U.P. agent to come running forward. His steps shook the ground. Delsin's smoke didn't seem to make a dent in the agent's health, forcing him to absorb the neon and time energy around the arena.

Augustine's face lit up briefly with approval as she saw Delsin switch powers. "I thought so. I just had to see it for myself," she commented, watching our efforts to defeat the agent. "I hope you realize how special you are. Now finish the big concrete oaf off so we can talk." I flashed a glare at the redhead, moving to help Delsin, but I was stopped by concrete rising up my body. I focused on turning its time backward, but the concrete was rising too fast. Quickly, it had reached my arms, blocking my powers from functioning. "Patience is a virtue, Tara. Delsin can handle this on his own."

"Be careful, Delsin!" I called out, watching the Conduit switch to his time powers and put up a shield to block an attack. After what felt like an eternity, Delsin managed to bring the agent down.

"Okay, so maybe I, you know, lied about the neon and time thing… but listen, I think I can save us both a lot of time here. I just need to leech a little power off you, that's it," Delsin called out, taking a tentative step forward.

Augustine laughed slightly before replying, "You want me to just give you my power?"

"I mean, not enough to sink bridges or anything… but enough to pull your concrete daggers out of my friends, yeah. Then, after that, you will never see me again," Delsin offered.

"I've got a better idea," the head of the D.U.P. responded, waving her hand forward. A layer of concrete began to work its way up Delsin's legs. He tried to knock it off, but to no avail. "Since you'd be useless to me back in your little hovel, how about you stay here with me?"

"I kind of like my idea better," Delsin commented, lunging for Augustine's wrist. The redhead caught Delsin's hand, covering him with concrete much faster now.

I struggled to move. "Delsin!" I screamed, but I couldn't get any closer to help. My attention was broken as I heard something getting closer. It was almost like a flapping of wings, but I couldn't turn to look for the source of the noise.

"Oh, Delsin, you disappoint me," Augustine said, not noticing the sound yet. After a moment, she turned her eyes to the sky, calling out, "No!" Delsin was snatched out of Augustine's grip by what looked like an angel, leaving me alone with Augustine.

There was another flapping of wings, and I was lifted into the air as well. Augustine was prepared this time though, and she launched a blast of concrete at the creature carrying me. The creature disappeared, leaving me to crash to the ground. Luckily, the concrete shattered, freeing me. I jumped into the air, standing there for a moment.

"Until next time, Concrete Queen," I shouted, deflecting a blast of concrete. I ran through the sky, finally reaching the Lantern District. Finding a quiet bench, I sat down, breathing heavily. Something about those angels was familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Then, it came to me. The angels were from Heaven's Hellfire! One of the best players in the game commanded legions of the angels and demons in the game. The Conduit controlling these angels had to be a fan of the game.

I pulled out my phone to call Delsin, but I was interrupted by the now familiar sound of wings flapping. I stood just as an angel came to a landing before me. It extended an arm, speaking, "He Who Dwells would like to extend an invitation to you. In his realm, you will be safe, protected. Do you accept?"

I blinked, unsure what to say. The phone was still clutched in my hand, but I pocketed it after a moment. Delsin was trying to find new Conduits, right? He would love it if I found another for him, and my interest had been captured, anyway. Finally, I nodded and answered, "I accept."

The angel lifted me in a flurry of feathers, carrying me through the city until it reached a square with massive TV screens. The angel landed by a hatch, gesturing for me to go through. Silently, I entered, finding myself in a basement of some kind. A number of TVs were scattered around, and I stepped toward one, finding myself engulfed in a burst of light. I blinked against the brightness, an afterimage burned into my vision as the light returned to normal. I found myself in a strange world. It seemed to be modeled after an area of Heaven's Hellfire, but I wasn't sure.

I was startled from my thoughts by the appearance of a massive angel, clad in armor. "Thou shalt be safe in this haven!" It decreed forcefully. I couldn't shake the feeling that I the angel was familiar, but I was pretty sure that I'd never met any angels before that day. A flash of a vision ran through my mind. The boy with glasses from the transport stood, a shy smile on his face. Then, his form began to shift and blur, growing into the largest angel, He Who Dwells.

"Thank you, but I have a question!" I called out, locking eyes with the Conduit.

"Ask, and thou shalt receive an answer!" boomed the angel.

"Are you the boy from the military transport? The one with the brown hair and glasses?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.

The angel seemed to ponder the question for a moment before he came to a landing, shrinking down as he did so. After a moment, the same boy stood in front of me, where the angel had stood. He wore a pair of jeans, a red Heaven's Hellfire shirt, and a red and gray striped hoodie. "Here's your answer," he stated, opening his arms in a general gesture to himself. "My name's Eugene. This is a bit better than our last meeting, huh?"

I nodded, grinning at Eugene. "You can call me T. It's good to meet you too. By the way, I love your shirt. I used to play a lot of Heaven's Hellfire with my best friend, but it's been years now," I responded, introducing myself. "And this is definitely better than last time." The other Conduit flashed a shy smile at me.

Eugene seemed a bit conflicted about whatever he wanted to say next, but after a moment, he asked, "So, what are your powers? I mean, Augustine's been looking like crazy for you, so you must be pretty powerful."

Now, it was my turn to answer questions. "Well, I guess you could say that I'm a master of time and space. No, I'm just kidding — well, it's partially true. I have power over time, but it's usually pretty limited. Lately, my powers have been really jacked up though, thanks to Augustine. She stuck this on me, saying it's some kind of power amplifier, and she's the only one who can take it off," I explained, tugging at the collar. "Most of the time now, it feels like I have unlimited energy and strength, and I've been developing new powers, like visions of the —!" I broke off as I was pulled into a vision.

Eugene's concerned voiced faded, and I collapsed, the vision all I could see. I was back in Empire City, standing next to the coffin again. I stretched out my hands, throwing the flow of time into reverse with ease. Years of decay were gone, and a hand blasted the coffin open. Flashing with electricity, a young man climbed out of the coffin, picking up the fork-like object. "What happened? The RFI was… activated… so how am I…" He asked, staggering slightly with confusion.

Just as he turned to face me, I was broken back to reality. I found myself lying on my back, Eugene kneeling beside me. I leaned on my elbow, rubbing my head. "Was that a vision?" Eugene asked, pushing his glasses up his nose. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Eugene helped me to my feet, angels flitting about behind him. They seemed agitated, mirroring Eugene's emotions, but there was something else. "You should get some rest. My angels will escort you to a clean bed." Again, I nodded, and an angel lifted me into the air.

Soon, I was sitting on a plush, warm bed, and my eyes began to droop. Before I knew it, I slipped into the embrace of sleep. I didn't know it, but I was right about the angels' agitation. Delsin had found Eugene's hideout. When I awoke, the atmosphere had changed drastically. I climbed to my feet and stepped out of the room, finding myself looking at a massive open area with platforms scattered around. Lava covered the floor, and a fight was just finishing up. I could see a small figure, Delsin, fighting against Eugene in his angel form.

Delsin landed a final blow, and Eugene, disappeared in a blink, bringing Delsin and me back to the outside world. Eugene dropped to a knee as Delsin appeared in front of him. I came through a moment later, just as Delsin took Eugene's hand. I could see the power transfer occurring, but the link cut off as the two Conduits collapsed. They were unconscious for several minutes, during which time a cop arrived, claiming he was Delsin's brother, Reggie.

Reggie rushed to Delsin's side as he came back to consciousness. "Delsin!" He called out. "Delsin?"

Delsin shifted to his hands and knees, commenting, "Okay, that's starting to get old…"

"You sounded like you were in trouble, so I came running," Reggie explained, helping his brother to his feet. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, man. Couldn't have done it without you. Oh, wait. I already did," Delsin replied, patting Reggie on the back. "Speaking of, man… you're not going to believe what I can do now, soon as I figure out what it is I can do."

I stepped toward the hatch, ready to leave. "It's good to see you again, Del, but I'm going to get going now. Tell Eugene I had a good time and that I hope to see him again soon," I said.

Surprise registered on Delsin's face. "T? What are you doing here?" He asked.

"That doesn't matter," I replied curtly. "I'll see you later, Delsin." Eugene stirred slightly on the ground, but I had already slipped into the city.

((A/N Another chapter complete! I hope it lives up to your expectations. I know it lives up to mine. Anyway, I ended up doing really well on my SAT test, with a 1990 for my first try. That's better than either of my brothers did, and it's a good score for most of the colleges I'm looking at! Anyway, I love reviews and constructive criticism, and they don't even have to be long! So, until next time, see ya! Kkoko88))


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